On March 6, US President Donald Trump left open the possibility of defending allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), but also affirmed that he would not do so if members did not spend enough money on their own defense.
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| US President Donald Trump wants NATO countries to increase defense spending. (Source: AFP) |
Reuters news agency quoted President Trump's statement to reporters in the Oval Office as saying: "This is common sense... If they don't pay, I won't protect them."
The US leader said this has been his view for many years and this stance was shared with NATO allies during his first term.
These efforts have prompted NATO members to spend more, he said, but “even now it’s not enough.” Trump also questioned whether France or “some other countries” would protect the United States in times of crisis.
In addition, Mr. Trump also mentioned the alliance with Japan and emphasized: "Washington has a great relationship with Tokyo but also has an interesting agreement with them that we have to protect them, but they do not have to protect us."
Mr. Trump's statement was made in the context that on the same day, NBC News reported that a number of senior and former US officials revealed that President Trump is considering significantly changing the way the US participates in NATO.
Specifically, Mr. Trump discussed with his advisers about adjusting the level of US commitment to NATO, in the direction of only prioritizing the protection of member countries that meet a certain defense spending threshold according to Washington's criteria.
If implemented, the US could refuse to defend a member state if it is attacked but has not met its defense spending requirements. This could change NATO’s core principles, particularly Article 5, which states that an attack on any member is an attack on all.
In addition, Mr. Trump is also considering adjusting the policy of organizing military exercises, thereby only prioritizing cooperation with NATO countries that meet the required defense spending level.
However, NBC News also said that when asked about this issue, a US National Security Council official affirmed: "President Trump remains committed to NATO and Article 5."
Mr. Trump has repeatedly criticized NATO countries for not meeting the minimum defense spending target of 2% of GDP that the alliance set in 2014. He believes that this disparity is unfair and puts an additional burden on the United States. Most recently, the leader proposed that NATO members spend 5% of GDP on defense.
Regarding the issue of defense spending, on the sidelines of the special European Union (EU) Summit held in Brussels, Belgium, on March 6, Polish President Andrzej Duda said he proposed that NATO members should immediately increase defense spending to at least 3% of GDP.
The Polish leader asserted that the current situation does not allow NATO to wait until 2030 to achieve its defense spending targets.
Source: https://baoquocte.vn/tong-thong-my-ra-de-bai-kho-cho-nato-dong-cham-den-ca-dong-minh-nhat-ban-ba-lan-de-xuat-muc-tieu-tham-vong-306650.html
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